Method for automated stator manufacture

ABSTRACT

A methodology of sleeving at least one lead of a stator is provided. The methodology includes the steps of robotically selecting at least one of the stator leads, and robotically positioning an insulating sleeve over the stator lead.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/122,950, filed on Jul. 27, 1998, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,073,336, entitled STATOR COIL LACING DEVICE, naming Hobart DeHartas the inventor.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of manufacturinga stator. More particularly, the present invention relates to anautomated method of shielding, grouping, and splicing stator leads priorto lacing of the leads and the stator coil end windings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Induction motors typically include a stator and a rotor. The statorincludes a metallic core with a plurality of coils or windings runningthrough the core. An alternating current is passed through these coilsto generate an alternating magnetic flux field. The rotor has aplurality of coils or windings in which an alternating current isinduced by the alternating magnetic flux field of the stator. The endcoils or end turns of the stator are grouped together at axial ends ofthe stator and are often laced or stitched together to prevent theirinterfering with other components of a device. The end turns are oftencoated with an epoxy or resin subsequent to stitching. This coatinghelps reduce movement of the wires and provides an insulated barrierbetween the wires and other objects. Lacing in this case helps assurethat the coils are tightly grouped together prior to coating.

Also extending from axial ends of the stator are several groups of barewire leads. The leads serve to supply electrical power and controlsignals to the stator during operation. Because each of the leads carrysignals of varying electric potential, the leads are typically insulatedfrom one another with a non-electrically conductive shield or sleeve,respectively. The non-electrically conductive sleeve provides the leadswith protection from shorting one another out in the event two or moreleads happen to cross. During manufacture of the stator, placement ofthe sleeves on each lead is done manually by an operator on themanufacturing floor. More particularly, the operator initially retrievespre-cuts sleeves and then manually threads each lead through itsrespective sleeve thereby providing the needed insulation. Additionally,because the length of many of the leads often is often not satisfactoryto accomodate the lacing process, threaded extension leads are generallyspliced to each of the stator leads. In order to splice a lead to anextension lead, an operator typically positions a connecting end of thelead and extension lead within a cramping tool which then completes thesplicing procedure. Manual sleeving and splicing of each lead wire istedious, time consuming, and involves ongoing operator involvementduring the stator manufacture cycle.

As part of the manufacturing process, each stator is introduced to astation at which lacing thereof occurs. Use of a stator coil lacingmachine avoids many of the manual operations otherwise necessary forlacing or stitching stator end coils and thus reduces labor costs andincreases productivity and quality. At the lacing station, an operatortypically lifts the stator and places the stator on the lacing machine.The lacing machine generally includes a worktable having a cylindricalarbor protruding upward from a central portion of the worktable. Thearbor serves to facilitate proper placement of the stator on the lacingmachine and aids in rotating the stator as lacing takes place. Oncelacing is completed, the stator is lifted off the arbor and removed fromthe lacing machine and placed back on the pallet. The longer thelongitudinal length of the arbor, the more effort that is required toplace the stator thereon and remove the stator therefrom. Insertion andremoval of the stator from the arbor is especially difficult given theoftentimes substantial weight of each stator which includes a heavymetallic core. While use of a lacing machine provides advantages inlacing the stator coils, the need to physically move the stator from theconveyer belt pallet to the lacing machine and back again to the palletis a tedious process which impedes the overall manufacturing process.

One characteristic of some stator coil lacing machines is that the leadsof the stator coil windings must be manually held and moved duringlacing of the coils of the stator. Typically, a stator includes severalgroups of leads for supplying power and other signals to the stator. Theleads must be held and moved in order to appropriately position theleads with respect to one or more lacing needles of the stator coillacing machine. Oftentimes the leads are manually moved and positionedsuch that a portion of each lead is stitched to the coil in a desiredmanner. This allows the leads to extend from the stator at a desiredlocation rather than loosely falling at random positions. The desiredlocation from which the leads extend is often caused to correspond toopenings in the stator housing which provide the leads with accessoutside the housing. Thus, one or both of the hands of the operator of astator coil lacing machine is/are often preoccupied in positioning theleads during lacing of the coils of the stator. This has thedisadvantages of preventing the operator from performing other tasksduring stator coil lacing and thus lowers his or her productivity. Inaddition, an operator needs to be cautious of mistakenly coming incontact with the moving components of the stator coil lacing machinesuch as the lacing needles.

Therefore, what is needed is a method and apparatus for manufacturing astator which minimizes the amount of manual intervention needed so as toovercome the shortfalls discussed above and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, a method and apparatus for automating the manufacturing processof a stator is provided. The stator includes a metal core withconducting wires oriented axially through the metal core. The conductingwires are grouped together into end windings which converge at upper andlower ends of the metal core. A series of leads extend from the upperand lower ends of the metal core and provide the stator with electricalcontrol and power signals.

During manufacture, the stator is moved through a series ofmanufacturing stations in which a sequence of automated steps areperformed to the stator at each of the stations. In particular, thepresent invention provides for the stator to be introduced to a firststation in which the leads of the stator are automatically shielded orsleeved in order to electrically isolate the leads from one another. Thestator is then moved to a second station where the leads areautomatically grouped according to a predefined criteria. Followinggrouping, the stator is moved to a third station where a selected set ofleads are automatically spliced to extension wires to allow a properlength of each lead wire to extend from the stator following the lacingprocedure. Finally, the stator is moved to a lacing station where boththe end windings and leads are automatically laced according to apredefined lacing protocol.

Automated processes which occur at each of the stations are performedwhile the stator is situated on a rotatable support such as a pallethaving a rotating assembly disposed therein. The rotatable support ismoved from station to station via a conveyer belt or the like and allowsthe stator to be automatically rotated to various positions at eachstation. Further, at each of the first, second, and third stations, arobotic arm is used to facilitate placement and positioning of theleads. The robotic arm may, for instance, be controlled by a centralcomputer which controls the robotic arm to perform certain predefinedtasks. Thus, using a combination of the robotic arm and the rotatablesupport, the present invention substantially reduces the amount of timeoperators need to spend at each of these stator manufacturing stationsand increases the overall speed, accuracy, and efficiency at which suchsteps are performed.

According to one particular aspect of the present invention a method ofshielding a lead of a stator as the stator is situated on a pallet isprovided. The method includes the steps of selecting the lead by a firstrobotic device and positioning a sleeve over at least a portion of thelead by a second robotic device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a system formanufacturing a stator is provided. The system includes a palletincluding a base portion, a first ring rotatably disposed within thebase portion for supporting the stator, and a second ring rotatablydisposed in the base portion, the second ring including a plurality ofclips for releasably securing a plurality of leads extending from thestator. The system further includes a conveyer system for supporting thepallet and moving the pallet between a plurality of stations and a meansfor sleeving at least one of the plurality of leads of the stator at oneof the plurality of stations.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method forgrouping a plurality of leads of a stator situated on a pallet isprovided. The pallet includes a rotatable assembly having a plurality oflead securing devices. The method includes the steps of positioning oneof the plurality of leads secured to a first of the plurality of leadsecuring devices to a predetermined position, removing the one of theplurality of leads from the first of the plurality of lead securingdevices, rotating a second of the plurality of lead securing devices tothe predetermined position, and securing the one of the plurality ofleads to the second of the plurality of lead securing devices.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention a system forgrouping leads of a stator is provided. The system includes a pallethaving an inner rotatable ring for supporting the stator and an outerrotatable ring with a plurality of lead securing devices. The systemfurther includes a means for removing at least one of the leads from oneof the plurality of lead securing devices and placing the at least oneof the leads into another of the plurality of lead securing devices.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention a method ofsplicing a lead of a stator to an extension lead is provided. The methodincludes the steps of positioning by a first robotic device the lead ofthe stator to a crimping tool, positioning by a second robotic devicethe extension lead to the crimping tool, and splicing by the crimpingtool the lead to the extension lead.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the inventionthen, comprises the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. The following description andthe annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrativeembodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however,of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of theinvention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel featuresof the invention will become apparent from the following detaileddescription of the invention when considered in conjunction with thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a conveyer system passing through four statormanufacturing stations in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view partly in section of a stator situatedon a pallet in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 exploded front view in perspective of the stator situated on apallet at one of the stations;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the pallet;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pallet;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a clip used in conjunction with thepallet;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a gear assembly used in the pallet;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic side view of a first station in which leads ofthe stator are automatically sleeved using a robotic device;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic top view of a first station in which leads of astator are automatically sleeved using the robotic device;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a finger clamp of the robotic device;

FIG. 11a is a side view of a first robot device obtaining a lead wirefrom beneath the clip;

FIG. 11b is a side view of a second robot device positioning a sleeveadjacent the lead wire;

FIG. 11c is a side view of the second robot arm incrementing the sleeveover the lead wire;

FIG. 11d is a side view of the second robot arm incrementing the sleeveover the lead wire;

FIG. 11e is a side view of the second robot arm incrementing the sleeveover the lead wire;

FIG. 11f is a side view of the second robot arm completing positioningof the sleeve over the lead wire;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the second station in which the leads aregrouped in accordance a predefined grouping protocol;

FIG. 13 is top view of the second station following grouping of eachlead;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the third station in which a crimping toolsplices or connects leads;

FIG. 15a is a side view of a robotic arm selecting a lead for splicingby the crimping tool;

FIG. 15b is a side view of a crimping tool splicing a lead to a threadedlead;

FIG. 15c is a side view of a robot device positioning a splice insulatorsleeve for insertion over a spliced lead;

FIG. 15d is a side view of the splice insulator coupled to the splicedlead;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation view partly in section of the statorintroduced to the lacting station;

FIG. 17a is a perspective view of the stator prior to the commencementof the lacing process;

FIG. 17b is a perspective view of the stator after a 90°counter-clockwise rotation during the lacing process;

FIG. 17c is a perspective view of the stator after a 180° clockwiserotation during the lacing process;

FIG. 17d is a perspective view of the stator after being reset 180° fromits start point during the lacing process;

FIG. 17e is a perspective view of the stator after a 90° counterclockwise rotation during the lacing process;

FIG. 17f is a perspective view of the stator after a 180° clockwiserotation during the lacing process; and

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the stator disposed in a statorhousing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings in which like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a manufacturing facility is depicted inwhich a plurality of supports such as pallets 128 are situated in aspaced apart relationship along a conveyer system 130. A stator 125situated on each of the pallets 128 is moved through a series ofmanufacturing stations 112 a-d (hereinafter collectively referred to asmanufacturing stations 112) by the conveyer system 130. The stator 125includes a metal core 133 (FIG. 2), for example, formed from stackedlaminations with conducting wires oriented axially through the metalcore 133. The conducting wires are grouped together into end coils orend windings 135 which converge into a generally toroidal shapedconfiguration at upper and lower ends 138 a, 138 b, respectively, of themetal core 133. Leads 150 extend from the end windings 135 situated onthe upper end 138 a of the metal core 133 and are used to provide thestator 125 with electrical control and power signals as is known in theart. For example, the leads 150 may provide the stator 125 with threephase power, thermal relay signals, etc. It will be appreciated that thestator 125 may include any number of sets of leads 150 depending on theoperational requirements of the stator 125.

During manufacture, the stator 125 is moved through the series ofmanufacturing stations 112 during which a sequence of automated stepsare performed to the stator 125 during its manufacturing cycle. Inparticular, the present invention provides for the stator to beintroduced to the first station 112 a in which the leads 150 of thestator 125 automatically are sleeved in order to electrically isolatethe leads 150 from one another. The stator 125 is then moved to thesecond station 112 b where the leads 150 automatically are groupedaccording to a predefined criteria. Following grouping, the stator 125is moved to the third station 112c where a selected set of leads 150 arespliced together and/or to extension wires to allow a proper length ofeach lead 150 to extend from the stator prior to lacing. Finally, thestator 125 is moved to the fourth station 112 d where both the endwindings 135 and leads 140 automatically are laced according to apredefined lacing protocol. It will be appreciated, that while thepresent invention describes these manufacturing steps occurring insequential fashion, it is possible for the stator 125 to be introducedto other stations in the manufacturing cycle both before and after anyof the stations referred to herein and the present invention is notlimited to a case in which all of these steps are performed back toback.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, each station 112 includes a slidablegear assembly 230 which is coupled to a station table 170 via track 233.The slidable gear assembly 230 includes a bi-directional motor 235coupled to drive gear 240 and is capable of rotating the drive gear 240in both a clockwise and counter clockwise direction. A traction plate245 is rigidly attached to the top of the bi-directional motor 235 andinterfaces with the track 233 to allow the slidable gear assembly 230 tomove horizontally in a direction depicted by arrows 236. A pair oftraction wheels 234 secured to the traction plate 245 provide formovement of the slidable gear assembly 230 within track 233. The track233 includes first and second track members 247 a and 247 b each mountedto the lacing table 170 using conventional mounting means and each trackmember 247 a, 247 b defines a respective groove 249 a and 249 b, forreceiving the traction plate 245 and traction wheels 234 of the slidablegear assembly 230. A motor 246 (FIG. 2), attached to a side of thelacing table 170, provides motive force to the traction wheels 234 ofthe slidable gear assembly 230 for movement along the track 233.Alternatively, the traction wheels 234 may be controlled by a separateservo motor.

Turning now to FIGS. 3-7, the pallet 128 is described in more detail.The pallet 128 includes a base portion 229 which is generallyrectangular in shape and includes a pair of flanges 300 suitable forsituating the pallet 128 on the conveyer system 130 (FIG. 2) formovement through the manufacturing facility. To provide for rotation ofthe stator 125 at each of the respective stations 112, the pallet 128further includes a ring assembly 310 disposed therein. Moreparticularly, the ring assembly 310 includes an outer ring 31 5 and aninner ring 320.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the outer ring 315 includes inner and outer gearteeth 325, 330, respectively. The outer gear teeth 330 have a pitchangle and spacing suitable for engaging with drive gear 240 (FIG. 3).The inner gear teeth 225 have a pitch angle and spacing suitable forengaging with gear assembly 250. The outer ring 31 5 further includeslead clips 355 connected thereto. As will be discussed in more detailbelow, the lead clips 355 aid in positioning leads for operations doneat each of the respective stations 112.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the lead clips 355 include a base portion 357and a cord securing member 359. The base portion 357 is secured to a topsurface of the outer ring 315 using flat head screws 358 or the like.The securing member 359 is folded across a top surface 360 of the baseportion 357 and provides a downward force against the top surface 360for releasably securing items therebetween. It will be appreciated thatwhile the present embodiment describes clips 355 attached to the outerring 315 for securing the leads 150, other fasteners or securing devicesmay alternatively be used.

Returning again to FIG. 4, the inner ring 320 includes outer gear teeth375 disposed about a periphery of the inner ring 320. The outer gearteeth 375 have a pitch angle and spacing which is configured tointerface with gear assembly 350. The inner ring 320 includes a recessedstep 379 which is sized to receive the metal core 133 of the stator 125.The recessed step 379 provides for mitigating wobbling and/or falling ofthe stator 125 situated therein during the manufacture cycle.Furthermore, an opening 383 defined in a central portion of the innerring 320 provides room for the end windings 135 on the lower end 138 b(FIG. 2) of the stator core 133 to extend to an underside of the pallet128 so that the end windings 135 are accessible for lacing or othermanufacturing steps.

Both outer ring 315 and inner ring 320 are rotatably disposed in thepallet 128 to provide rotation of the stator 125 at each of the stations112. More particularly, the outer ring 315 is disposed in an outer ringreceiving channel 390 (FIG. 4) defined in the pallet 128. A bottomsurface 394 of the outer ring receiving channel 390 includes a brassbushing (not shown) to aid in rotation of the outer ring 315 withinchannel 390. The inner ring 320 is situated within an inner receivinggroove 391 which includes inner ring receiving ledge 397. Similar to theouter ring receiving channel 390, the inner ring receiving ledge 397includes a brass bushing to allow for rotation of the inner ring 320during operation. It will be appreciated that ball bearings and/or otherdevices may be used in place of the brass bushings to aid in rotation ofthe inner ring 320 and outer ring 315.

The outer receiving channel 390 and inner receiving groove 391 define astationary middle ring 400. The gear assembly 230 allows forsynchronized movement of the outer ring 315 and inner ring 320, and isconnected to an underside of middle ring 400. As best seen in FIG. 7,the gear assembly 350 includes three gears. A first gear 410 is coupledto the underside of the middle ring 400 via gear axle 415 and interfaceswith the inner gear teeth 325 of the outer ring 315. A second and thirdgear 420 and 425, respectively, are rigidly attached to one another andare coupled to the underside of the middle ring 400 via gear axle 429.The pitch angle and spacing of the second gear is configured tointerface with the gear teeth of the first gear 410. The pitch angle andspacing of the third gear 425 is configured to interface with the outergear teeth 375 of inner ring 320. The third gear 425 is also configuredto provide for both the outer ring 315 and inner ring 320 to move at thesame angular rotation about central axis “A” of the pallet 128 duringlacing. More particularly, in the present embodiment the outer ring 315has ten times the number of gear teeth 330 as the drive gear 240. Thus,for example, if the drive gear 240 were to rotate at a speed of tenrevolutions per minute, the outer ring 315 would rotate at a speed ofone revolution per minute. As the outer ring 315 is rotated, the firstgear 410 of the gear assembly 350 correspondingly is rotated via theinner gear teeth 325 of the outer ring 315. The first gear 410, in turn,engages rotation of both the second gear 420 and third gear 425.Finally, the third gear 425 engages rotation of the inner ring 320 viaouter gear teeth 375. In order that the inner ring 320 is rotated at thesame rotational speed as the outer ring 315, the third gear 425 isspecifically configured to have the appropriate the number of gear teethto provide for equal rotational speed. For example, if the first andsecond gears 415 and 420 are rotated at the same rotational speed as thedrive gear 240, then the third gear 425 preferably would be configuredto have one-tenth the number of gear teeth as the inner ring 320 therebyproviding for the outer ring 315 and inner ring 320 rotate at the samespeed.

Returning to FIG. 4, the pallet 128 further includes gear engagingapertures 440, 445 and 447 to allow for interaction between the drivegear 240 and outer ring 315, and between the outer ring 315 and theinner ring 320 via gear assembly 350. More particularly, the outer gearengaging aperture 440 is defined along a periphery of the outer ringchannel 390 and is sized to allow the drive gear 240 to engage with theouter gear teeth 330 of the outer ring 315. Furthermore, inner and outergear assembly apertures 445 and 447, respectively, are defined along aninner and outer periphery of the middle ring 400 and are each sized toallow the gear assembly 350 to engage with the outer ring 315 and innerring 320.

Referring back to FIG. 3, each pallet 128 further includes a lead liftassembly 450 which is primarily used during the lacing process. The leadlift assembly 450 includes ring portion 453 having a diameter justslightly larger than a diameter of the metal core 133 of the stator 125such that the ring portion 453 may be freely lifted and lowered aboutthe metal core 133. The ring portion 453 further includes a pair ofhooks 455 a, 455 b which define a stitch window 460 through which alacing needle 869 reaches the end windings 135 during lacing. The ringportion 453 is movably secured to the pallet 128 via three lead liftlegs 458. Each leg 458 includes a vertical section 461 and an angledsection 463. Each angled section 463 is rigidly coupled to the ringportion 453 and is angled sufficiently to position the ring portion 453about the metal core 133. Each vertical section 461 passes through acorresponding lead lift aperture 465 in the middle ring 400 of thepallet 128. A spring 469 is secured to a distal end of each verticalsection 461 using a lock nut 473. An opposite end of the spring 469abuts an underside of the middle ring 400. The spring 469 provides adownward force on the lead lift assembly 450 to facilitate lowering ofthe lead lift assembly 450 following lacing at the lacing station 112 das discussed in more detail below. Of course, other means for aiding inlowering the lead lift assembly 450 such as placing weights on thedistal end of the vertical section 461 may alternatively be used.

Turning now to FIGS. 8 and 9, the first station 112 a is shown in moredetail at which the leads 150 of the stator 125 are sleevedautomatically. In order to provide automated sleeving, the first station112 a includes a first and second robotic device 500, 505, respectively.The first robotic device 500 and second robotic device 505 each arecoupled to a main frame computer system 600 (FIG. 1) which supply thedevices with the appropriate instructions for carrying out theoperations described herein.

The first robotic device 500 is mounted to a ceiling or other rigidstructural member in the manufacturing facility. The robotic device 500includes a stepper motor 510 providing vertical movement to an armpositioning assembly 520 via support stem 523. In the presentembodiment, three retractable arms 530 a, 530 b, 530 c (collectivelyreferred to as retractable arms 530) extend from the arm positioningassembly 520 and are positionable in a substantially horizontaldirection by the arm positioning assembly 520. In order to individuallyposition each retractable arm 530, the arm positioning assembly 520includes three positioning motors 535 a, 535 b, 535 c (collectivelyreferred to as positioning motors 535) disposed within a housing 536 ofthe arm positioning assembly 520. Each positioning motor 535 couples toa respective retractable arm 530 and applies conventional techniques toextend and retract the retractable arm 530 from the housing 536. Adistal end of each retractable arm 530 is coupled to a respective fingerclamp 550 a, 550 b, 550 c (collectively referred to as finger clamp 550)through a finger clamp control unit 555 a, 555 b, 555 c (collectivelyreferred to as control unit 555). As shown in FIG. 10, each finger clamp550 includes a pair of fingers 560 which are positionable by the controlunit 555 to lift and secure items therebetween.

The second robotic device 505 at the first station 112 a is mounted to awork table 570 via a horizontal and vertical positioning motor 573. Thepositioning motor 573 includes conventional electrical and mechanicalcomponents for positioning a robot arm. Further, the positioning motor573 includes a conventional resistance detector 574 which serves todetect the amount of resistance in movement of a robot arm thepositioning motor 573 is experiencing at any given time. An arm assembly575 coupled to the positioning motor includes a first and secondretractable arm member 577, 579. Each retractable arm member 577, 579may be elongated or shortened in response to signals received from thepositioning motor 573 to obtain desired positioning of the arm members577, 579. An end of the second arm member 579 is coupled to a fingerclamp support 581. A first and second finger clamp 583 a, 583 b(collectively referred to as finger clamp 583) each couple to the fingerclamp support 581 through a respective finger clamp control unit 585 a,585 b (collectively referred to as control unit 585). The finger clamps583 and finger clamp control units 585 each are similar in structure tothe finger clamps 550 discussed above with respect to the first roboticdevice 500. Robotic devices similar to those described herein andsuitable for use in connection with the present embodiment arecommercially available from Robo-Tech Systems, Inc., Westerville, Ohioand Robotic Accessories, Tipp City, Ohio.

Also included at the first station 112 a is a spool of sleeve material590. The spool 590 is supported on the work table 570 by way of supportmember 592 and is rotatable about axis 595. A sleeve guide post 597mounted to the work table 570 aids in guiding the electricallyinsulating sleeve material 605 as it is dispensed from the spool 595.Further, a conventional sleeve cutter 599 also is mounted to the worktable 570 and serves to cut the sleeve material 605 to an appropriatesize as discussed in more detail below.

Prior to introducing a stator 125 to the first station 112 a, each ofthe leads 150 of the stator 125 manually is pre-positioned under apreassigned clip 355 on the outer ring 315. For instance, as shown inFIG. 9, eight leads labeled L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7 and L8 each arepositioned under a respective clip 355 preassigned for that lead 150.The preassigned positions of each lead 150 is also stored in the mainframe computer 600 and is used by the computer 600 to determine theparticular tasks to be performed to each lead 150 as discussed in moredetail below.

Upon introducing the pallet 128 to the first station 112 a in which theleads 150 are sleeved automatically, the slidable gear assembly 230(FIG. 3) engages with the gear teeth 330 disposed about an outerperiphery of the outer ring 315 and serves to rotate the ring assembly328 according to instructions received from the computer 600. Inparticular, the ring assembly 328 is rotated until lead L1 is positionedat a sleeving post 625 (FIG. 9) where sleeving takes place as discussedin more detail below. Further, upon engagement of the slidable gearassembly 230 with the outer ring 315, the locking pin disposed withinthe pallet 128 is released to allow the inner an outer rings 320, 315 torotate about a central axis of the pallet 128.

Next, as shown with respect to FIG. 11a the computer 600 directs thefirst robotic arm 500 to remove the lead 150 currently introduced to thesleeving post 625 from the clip 355 which in this case is lead L1. Inparticular, the stepper motor 510 lowers the arm positioning assembly520 to a first predetermined position such that the third finger clamp550 c substantially is at the same height as an end of the lead L1.Next, the arm positioning assembly 520 horizontally positions the thirdfinger clamp 550 c to a second predetermined position such that the endof lead L1 is positioned between the fingers 560 (FIG. 10) of the thirdfinger clamp 550 c. Following this step, the fingers 560 are movedtowards one another so as to capture and secure the end of lead L1.

Referring now to FIG. 11b, once the end of lead L1 is secured by thethird finger clamp 550 c, the robotic device 500 positions the end to apredetermined x, y, and z position in space. Next, the first and secondfinger clamps 550 a, 550 b, respectively, secure intermediate portionsof the lead L1 thereby holding the lead L1 in a substantially horizontalplane.

During the time in which the first robotic device 500 properly securesand positions the lead L1, the second robotic device 505 is directed bythe computer 600 to obtain an appropriately sized sleeve for placementon the lead L1. More particularly, in order to obtain the appropriatelysized sleeve, the second robotic device 505 initially positions itsfirst and second finger clamps 585 a, 585 b to secure a portion of thesleeve material 605 dispensed from the spool as shown in dashed lines inFIG. 8. Securing of the sleeve by the first and second finger clamps 585a, 585 b is done similar to that described above with respect to thefinger clamps 555 of robot device 500. Once secured, the robot device505 pulls the sleeve off the spool 590 in a direction indicted by arrow606 until an predetermined amount of sleeve material has passed over thesleeve cutter 599. Next, the computer 600 directs the sleeve cutter 599to slice the sleeve in a conventional manner. Following this step, thesecond robot device 505 directs the cut sleeve 620 to a positionadjacent the end of the lead L1 as shown in FIG. 11b.

As shown in FIG. 11c, once lead L1 and sleeve 620 are positionedproperly, the computer 600 directs the second robot device 505 to movethe sleeve towards the third finger clamp 550 c such that a receivingaperture (not shown) in the sleeve 620 receives the end of lead L1. Uponreaching the third finger clamp 550 c, the first robot device 500directs the third finger clamp 550 c to release the lead L1.

Referring now to FIG. 11d, following release of lead L1 by the thirdfinger clamp 550 c, the robot device 505 moves the sleeve 620 until anend of the sleeve abuts the second finger clamp 550 b. Once positionedat the second finger clamp 550 b, the opposite end of the sleeve 620will have cleared the third finger clamp 550 c. Thus, the third fingerclamp 550 c again secures the end of lead L1 to provide tension to leadL1 during the sleeving process. Also, the second finger clamp 550 breleases the lead L1, thereby allowing the sleeve 620 to be moved pastthat location.

As shown in FIG. 11e, following release of the lead L1 by the secondfinger clamp 550 b, the second robot 505 moves the sleeve 620 towardsthe first finger clamp 550 a. Once the sleeve 620 abuts the first fingerclamp 550 a, the first finger clamp 530 a releases the lead L1.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 11f, the second robot device 505 moves thesleeve until an end of the sleeve abuts a stator slot (not shown) in themetal core 133 through which the lead L1 extends from the stator 125.Determination of when the sleeve 620 has been properly positioned isaccomplished by the second robot 505 by monitoring the amount ofresistance faced by the robot arm 577, 579 in moving the sleeve asmeasured by the resistance detector 574 (FIG. 8). Thus, when a the robotdevice 505 determines that a predetermined amount of resistance has beensensed indicating that the sleeve 620 may not be moved any closer to thestator core 133, the robot device 505 is directed to disengage thesleeve 620. Following release of the sleeve 620 by the second robotdevice 505, the first robot device 500 re-secures the lead under theclip 355 from which it was originally taken.

Upon completion of sleeving of lead L1, the slidable gear assembly 230engages with the gear teeth 330 disposed about an outer periphery of theouter ring 315 to index the ring assembly 328 until each of theremaining leads L2-L8 is positioned at a sleeving post 625 (FIG. 9) andis sleeved in accordance with the procedures set forth above withrespect to FIGS. 11a-11 f. Thus, the present invention provides anautomated sleeving process which increases the efficiency of the overallmanufacturing cycle and allows operators to be free to perform othertasks.

Turning now to FIGS. 12 and 13, the second station 112 b is depicted atwhich the leads 150 of the stator 125 are grouped under an pre-assignedclip 355 on the outer ring 315 as determined by the computer 600.Grouping of the leads 150 enables them to be connected in an appropriatemanner at the third station 112 c. For instance, those leads which needto be jumpered or parallel connected together may be grouped under oneclip while those leads to which a stranded lead extension needs to beadded may be placed under their own respective clip. In order to selectand move each lead 150 to its assigned location, the second station 112b includes a third robot device 675 which is substantially similar tothe first robot device 500 described above with respect to the firststation 112 a, and therefore is not again discussed in detail for sakeof brevity.

Upon introducing the pallet 128 to the second station 112 a, a slidablegear assembly 230 at the second station 112 b engages with the ringassembly 328 and rotates the ring assembly 328 according to instructionsreceived from the computer 600. In particular, the gear assembly 230initially is directed to index the ring assembly 328 such that each leadL1-L8 is introduced to a grouping station. At the grouping station 680the third robot device 675 lifts the lead introduced to the groupingstation 680 from the clip 355 in a manner similar to that describedabove with respect to FIG. 11a. Next, the gear assembly 230 is directedto rotate the ring assembly 328 until the clip 355 under which the lead150 held by the third robot device 675 is to be positioned is at thegrouping station 680. Finally, the third robot device 675 re-clips thelead under the assigned clip 355. For instance, as shown in FIG. 12,lead L8 has been repositioned from its original clip 355 to its assignedclip 355. This process continues until the leads 150 have beenre-positioned according to the grouping protocol stored in the computer600. For instance, as shown in FIG. 13, the grouping protocol of thepresent embodiment has grouped leads L1 and L2 under one clip, leads L3and L4 under another clip and leads L5-L8 under their own individualclips.

Referring now to FIG. 13, the third station 112 c is shown in moredetail. The third station 112 c provides for automated splicing andcrimping of the leads 150 prior to lacing. Further, the third station112 c provides for automated sleeving of any spliced connections tofacilitate insulation of the leads 150.

In order to connect two or more leads, the third station 112 c includesa conventional crimping tool 700. Also included at the third station 112c is a fourth and fifth robot device 710, 720, respectively. The fourthrobot device 710 substantially is similar to the first robot device 500discussed above with respect to the first station 112 a. Likewise, thefifth robot device 710 substantially is similar to the second robotdevice 505 discussed above with respect to the first station 112 a. Assuch, details regarding the forth and fifth robot devices 710, 720 isnot again provided for sake of brevity.

Also positioned at the third station 112 c is a spool of insulatedthreaded lead wire 725 and a spool of sleeve material 730. Both spool725 and spool 730 have associated therewith a respective guide post740,742 and a respective cutting device 745,748. The spools 725, 730,guide posts 740, 742 and cutting devices 745, 748 are all similar inconstruction to the spool 590, guide post 597 and cutting device 599described above with respect to Fig.8.

Referring now to FIGS. 15a-15 d, the operations performed at the thirdstation 112 c is described in more detail. Upon introducing the pallet128 to the third station 112 a, a slidable gear assembly 230 at thethird station 112 c engages with the ring assembly 328 and rotates thering assembly 328 according to instructions received from the computer600. In particular, the gear assembly 230 is directed to index each clip355 currently securing one or more leads to a crimping station 780 (FIG.14) so that the lead may be appropriately connected with the aid of thefourth and fifth robot devices 710, 720, respectively.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15a, lead L6 has been introduced to thecrimping station 780 and initially is removed from its clip by robotdevice 710. The manner in which the robot device 710 removes the lead L6is similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 11 a. Next, withrespect to FIG. 15b, the robot device 710 positions the lead L6 in oneend of the crimping tool 700. During the time robot device 710 positionsthe lead L6 within the crimping tool 700, robot device 720 retrieves acut portion of a stranded lead wire 782 from the spool of threaded leadwire 725 in a manner similar to that described above with respect torobot device 505 retrieving a sleeve 620 from spool 590. Further therobot device 720 positions the stranded lead wire 782 into the crimpingtool 700. Once both lead L6 and the stranded lead wire 782 arepositioned within the crimping tool 700, the crimping tool 700 splicesthe leads together.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15c, the fifth robot device 720 retrieves a cutsleeve 785 from the spool of sleeve material 730 to serve as a spliceinsulator. The sleeve 785 includes a receiving aperture sizedsufficiently large to fit over the stranded lead 782. Thus, as shown inFIG. 15d, the fifth robot device 720 positions the sleeve 785 over thesplice connection in a manner similar that described above with respectto FIGS. 11a-11 f. Once positioned over the splice connection, the fifthrobot device 720 uses its finger to squeeze the sleeve 785 into placethereby insulating the splice connection. Once completed, the robotdevices 710, 720 reposition the lead(s) into the clamp 355 from which itwas removed and returns to the crimping station 780 to await the nextgroup of leads 150. In the present embodiment, each stranded lead 782spliced to a lead wire 150 includes a different number or otheridentifying indicia pre-printed on its outer insulation in order that anoperator may distinguish between different leads 150 after lacing.

If the next group of leads 150 is a group which is to be jumperedtogether rather than spliced to a threaded lead, the computer system 600directs the fourth robot device 710 to position the leads into thecrimping tool 700 and directly connect the leads together. This processof jumper connecting and splicing wires continues until all of thegroups of leads have been appropriately handled in accordance with theinstructions received from the computer.

Turning now to FIG. 16, the fourth station 112 d at which lacing occursis shown in more detail. The fourth station 112 d includes a lacingmachine 865 for lacing the end windings 135 and leads 150 of the stator125. The lacing machine 865 includes an upper lacing section 822 and alower lacing section 822′. Both the upper lacing section 822 and thelower lacing section 822′ include corresponding components for lacing ofthe upper portion 138 a and lower portion 138 b of the end windings 135,respectively. Thus, components of the lower lacing section 822′ whichcorrespond to components of the upper lacing section 822 are identifiedwith the same reference numeral but with a prime “′”. For sake ofbrevity, the following description will discuss only the components ofthe upper lacing section 822, however, it will be appreciated that thecomponents of the lower lacing section 822′ are similarly connected andconfigured as shown in FIG. 16.

The upper section 822 of the lacing machine 865 is mounted to a frame868 which is secured to a lacing table 870 using mounting bolts 871 orother conventional securing techniques such as screws, adhesives, etc.The lacing machine 865 includes a positionable lacing needle 869 forlacing of the end windings 135 on the upper portion 138 a of the metalcore 133. The lacing needle 869 is secured to vertical movement platform873 of the frame structure 868 via needle housing 875. The platform 873is coupled to vertical movement motor 878 via support rod 880. Thevertical movement motor 878 serves to raise and lower the platform 873thereby allowing for vertical positioning of the lacing needle 869.Rotational positioning of the lacing needle 869 is accomplished by wayof rotation rod 885 and rotation motor 890. More particularly, rotationrod 885 connects at one end to rotation motor 890 via gear assembly 893and at the other end to lacing needle 869. Thus, upon operation of therotation motor 890, the rotation rod 885 causes the lacing needle 869 torotate about an axis 894 to a desired position for lacing of the endwindings 135. The lacing needle 869 is also coupled to threading motor895 via threading rod 899. The threading motor 895 and threading rod 899provides the lacing needle 869 with in/out movement in a directionsubstantially parallel to axis 894 of the lacing needle 869.

The lacing machine 65 further includes a bobbin 903 for providing anddirecting a lacing cord 905 to an appropriate position with respect tothe coil windings 135 to allow lacing to take place. A rotationaldirection of the bobbin 903 is controlled by bobbin motor 906 via bobbincontrol rod 909. The bobbin control rod 909 couples to the bobbin motor905 via gear assembly 911 which rotates the bobbin control rod 909 inresponse to operation of the bobbin motor 905. Similar to the lacingneedle 869, vertical positioning of the bobbin 905 is achieved by way ofthe vertical movement motor 878 appropriately positioning the platform73 to which the bobbin 905 is secured. More particularly, as shown inphantom in FIG. 16, the vertical movement motor 878 allows both thebobbin 903 and lacing needle 869 to be positioned above or below theupper end 138 a of the stator coil end windings 135 during lacing asindicated by arrows 807. Thus, for example, the bobbin 903 may bepositioned inside or outside of a cavity defined by the end winding 135.It will be appreciated that while the present embodiment shows thevertical positioning of the bobbin 903 and lacing needle 869 to becontrolled by the same motor 868, a separate stepper motor or otherdevice could additionally or alternatively be coupled to each to allowfor individual vertical positioning of the bobbin 903 and the lacingneedle 869.

Also secured to the frame 868 is threading assembly 915. The threadingassembly 915 is secured to the platform 873 and moves in conjunctionwith the vertical positioning of the platform 873 as controlled byvertical movement motor 878. The threading assembly 915 includes a clamp(not shown) for securing the lacing cord 905 during certain portions ofthe lacing cycle and includes a shear (not shown) for cutting the lacingcord 905 as needed during the lacing cycle. Interaction between thebobbin 903, lacing needle 869, and threading assembly 915 is generallyknown in the art and is therefore not discussed in greater detail forsake of brevity.

Also included at the forth station 112 a is a vertical positioningdevice 965 (FIGS. 16 and 3). The vertical positioning device 965 is usedto aid in placement of the leads 150 during lacing as discussed in moredetail below. The vertical positioning device 965 includes a steppermotor 970 having a lift member 972 extending therefrom and a lead liftplate 975. The lead lift plate 975 is rigidly secured to a top of thelift member 972. The stepper motor 970 provides for movement of the leadlift plate 975 in substantially a vertical direction as depicted byarrows 983. The stepper motor 970 is situated on platform 985 (FIG. 16)which is secured to the lacing table 870 using conventional techniques.

In operation, the present invention provides for an automated statorlacing process which minimizes the amount of operator interventionneeded to lace the end windings 135 and leads 150 of the stator 125.More particularly, lacing of the end windings 135 and leads 150 isperformed during an automated process which occurs while the stator issituated on the pallet 128 during a manufacturing cycle. Thus, it is notnecessary for an operator to lift the stator 125 from the pallet 128 andplace the stator 125 over an arbor of a separate lacing machine.Furthermore, the automated lacing process automatically laces the endwindings 135 and leads 150 of the stator 125 according to a predefinedlacing pattern to ensure that the leads 150 extend from the end windings135 at one or more desired locations without the need for an operator tomanually guide the leads 150 during lacing.

The stator 125 is placed on pallet 128 at a first station at the startof a manufacturing process and is moved by the conveyer system 130 fromone station to the next. In order to stabilize the stator 125 frommovement, the metal core 133 is placed on the recessed step 379 of theinner ring 320. Additionally, in order to reduce the risk that thestator 125 is not inadvertently rotated or moved by the inner ring 320upon which the stator 125 is situated, both the inner ring 320 and outerring 315 are secured from rotational movement using spring loadedlocking pin 316 (FIG. 2). The locking pin 316 is movably mounted to alower portion of the platform 128 adjacent an area where the slidablegear assembly 240 engages with the outer ring 315. A spring (not shown)associated with the locking pin 316 provides sufficient force to engagethe locking pin 316 between a pair of gear teeth on the outer ring 315when the slidable gear assembly 240 is not engaged. When the slidablegear assembly 230 is engaged, the traction plate 245 of the slidablegear assembly 230 engages with the locking pin 316 so as to move thelocking pin 316 away from the gear teeth on the outer ring 315 therebyallowing for rotation of the inner ring 320 and outer ring 35 by thedrive gear 240.

Upon introduction of pallet 128 to the fourth station 112 d, theslidable gear assembly 230 engages with the outer gear teeth 330 of theouter ring 315. Once engaged, the locking pin 316 unlocks the outer ring315 and inner ring 320 such that each may rotate about central axis A.Prior to lacing, the lacing needle 869 automatically is positioned to apredetermined position adjacent the stitch window 460 using motors 890and 878. Of course, an operator may adjust the placement of the lacingneedle 869 via an operator control panel (not shown) if desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 17a-17 f, an embodiment of the present inventionis shown in which lacing of the end windings 135 and leads 150 occurssuch that the leads 150 ultimately extend from the end windings 135 attwo points spaced 180° apart from one another. It will be appreciatedthat while FIGS. 17a-17 f primarily focus on the end windings 135 on theupper end 138 a (FIG. 1a) of the metal core 133, the end windings 135 onthe lower end 138 b of the metal core 133 are laced similarly by thelacing machine 865. Starting with FIG. 17a, stator 125 is shown situatedon pallet 128 just prior to the beginning of a lacing process at lacingstation 120. In this particular embodiment there is shown two sets ofleads 150, however, it will be appreciated that the stator 125 mayinclude any number of sets of leads 150. As discussed above, each of thesets of leads 150 is clipped to a predefined clip 355 on the outer ring315. The clips 355 provide tension to the leads 150 while still allowingthe leads 150 to be pulled through the clip 355 when taken up during thelacing process. In order to facilitate proper placement of the leads 150during lacing, the vertical positioning device 965 (FIG. 16) raises thering portion 453 of the lead lift assembly 450 prior to rotation of thestator 125. In order to raise the ring portion 453, the stepper motor970 raises the lead lift plate 975 such that the lead lift plate 975engages the three legs 458 of the lead lift assembly 450. The lead liftplate 975 then lifts the ring portion 453 via the legs 450 until thering portion 453 substantially is flush with a top of the end windings135 as depicted in FIG. 7a. As the ring portion 453 of the lead liftassembly 450 is raised, a portion of the leads 150 are also lifted bythe ring portion 453. Once the lead lift assembly 450 is raised,rotation of the stator 125 and lacing by the lacing needle 869 begins.

Referring now to FIG. 7b, the outer ring 315 and inner ring 320initially are rotated 90° in a counter clockwise direction. Rotation ofthe outer ring 315 is accomplished by way of the bi-directional motor235 rotating the drive gear 240 in a clockwise direction an appropriatenumber of revolutions. As discussed above, the gear assembly 350provides for the outer ring 315 to rotate the inner ring 320 an equalamount. During rotation, the lacing needle 869 is controlled viathreading motor 895 and laces the end windings 135 and leads 150 whichare presented to the stitch window 460. Because the stator 125 and clips355 are rotated while the lead lift assembly 450 remains stationary, thehook 455 a of the lead lift assembly 450 catches the lead 150 a andpositions the lead 150 a in the stitch window 460 such that a portion ofthe lead 150 a is laced to the end windings 135 as depicted by leadstitched portion 1075 a. The clips 355 facilitate the leads 150remaining tense during the lacing process so that the leads 150 may beproperly positioned by hooks 455.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7c, the drive gear 240 rotates the outer andinner rings 315, 320, respectively, 180° degrees in a clockwisedirection. Again, during this rotation the lacing needle 869 continuesto lace end windings 135 and leads 150 introduced to the stitch window460. Thus, in this particular embodiment, the lacing needle 869 doublestitches the end windings 135 and lead 150 a in the region representedby lead stitched portion 475 a during the first 90° clockwise rotationand then continues to lace a new portion of the end windings 135 duringthe remaining 90° clockwise rotation.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7d, the lead lift assembly 450 is lowered by thevertical positioning device 965 by virtue of the stepper motor 970lowering the lead lift plate 975 (FIG. 3). Following lowering of thelead lift plate 975, the drive gear 240 rotates the stator 125 such thatthe stator 125 is rotated 180° from its initial start point in FIG. 7a.During this rotation, the lacing needle 869 is not active. Following the180° rotation, the lead lift assembly 450 is again raised by the steppermotor 970 such that the ring portion 453 substantially is flush with thetop portion of the end windings 135.

Referring now to FIG. 7e, the drive gear 240 again rotates the outerring 315 and inner ring 320 90° in a counter-clockwise direction. Duringthis rotation, the lacing needle 869 stitches the lead 150 b to the endwindings 135 along a region depicted by lead stitched portion 475 b.Finally, as shown in FIG. 7f, the drive gear 240 rotates the outer ring315 and inner ring 320 in a 180° clockwise direction. Similar to thatdescribed above with respect to FIG. 7c, during the first 90° clockwiserotation the lacing needle 69 double stitches the end windings 135 andleads 150 b over the region depicted by lead stitched portion 475 b.During the remaining 90° degree rotation the lacing needle 869 stitchesthe remaining end windings 135 introduced to the stitch window 360.Following the final 180° clockwise rotation, the lacing protocol iscompleted and the end windings 135 on both the upper end 138 a and lowerend 138 b of the metal core 133 are laced about the entire 360°circumference of the metal core 133. It will be appreciated that theleads 150 a, 150 b are laced to the end windings 135 such that each setof leads 150 a, 150 b departs from the stator 125 at a desired locationwhich in the present embodiment is at opposite points along acircumference of the end windings 35. Often times the points at whicheach set of leads 150 a, 150 b is configured to depart from the endwindings 135 will correspond to one or more lead apertures 1090predefined in a stator housing 1100 as shown in FIG. 18. In this manner,the leads 150 remain easily accessible to an operator after the stator125 has been placed into its housing 1100. Following completion of thelacing protocol, the stepper motor 970 lowers the lead lift assembly 950by way of lowering the lead lift plate 975. During lowering, the springs473 (FIG. 3) also provide a downward force on the lead lift assembly 450to facilitate proper retraction of the lead lift assembly 450. Finally,the slidable gear assembly 230 is retracted from the outer ring 320using motor 246 and the locking pin 316 is engaged to facilitate theouter ring 315 and inner ring 320 not rotating as the pallet 128 ismoved by the conveyer system 130 to the next station in themanufacturing cycle.

While the present embodiment shows a stator 125 having two sets of leads150 a and 150 b, it will be appreciated that if three or more sets ofleads 150 were included on the stator 215, all of the sets of leads 150would still have departed from the stator 125 at one of the two pointsshown in FIG. 17f. Furthermore, by rotating the stator 125 in bothclockwise and counter clockwise directions and by resetting the statorpositioning as shown with respect to FIG. 17g, the present embodimentprovides for a lacing technique which reduces the area in which leads150 overlap on the end windings 135 during lacing. While overlapping ofleads 150 during lacing does not effect the operations of the stator125, it may in some instances provide the end windings 135 of the statorto have areas of higher or lower elevation thereby making it moredifficult to properly fit the stator 125 in the stator housing 1100.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, it may bedesirable to lace the end windings 135 and leads 150 such that the leads150 all depart from the stator 125 at a single point. In such a case,the lacing protocol may, for example, be set to rotate the outer ring315 and inner ring 320 in a 360° clockwise or counter clockwisedirection while the lacing needle 69 laces in the stitch window 460.Alternatively, to reduce lead 150 overlap on the end windings 135, thelacing protocol may rotate the stator 125 180° in a first direction, andthen reset the stator 125 to its original position and finally rotatethe stator 180° in the opposite direction. Similarly, a number of otherlacing protocols may alternatively be used.

In still other alternative embodiment of the present invention, it maybe desirous to have leads 150 depart from the stator 125 at three ormore points about a circumference of the end windings 135. For example,if it were desirous to have three depart points, the drive gear 240 mayrotate the outer ring 315 and inner ring 320 in three 120° rotationsduring which lacing by lacing needle 869 is reset between each 120°rotation to provide for three lead depart points. Similarly, if four ormore depart points were desired, the drive gear 240 and lacing needle869 may be configured to, rotate and lace the end windings 135 and leads150 as needed. It will be appreciated that the present invention isintended to cover all such lacing protocols.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferredembodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur toothers upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. For example, while the above embodiments depict roboticdevices having three finger clamps, it is possible to utilize roboticdevices having one or more finger clamps. Further, while the aboveembodiments show the ring portion 453 of the lead lift assembly 450 toinclude only one pair of hooks 455 defining a single stitch window 460,it will be appreciated that the lead lift assembly 450 may includeadditional hooks 455 defining multiple stitch windows. Additionally,while the above embodiments show a single drive gear 240 to drive boththe outer ring 315 and inner ring 320, it will be appreciated thatseparate drive gears could alternatively be used for each of the rings315, 320. It is intended that the invention be construed as includingall such modifications and alterations, and equivalents thereof and islimited only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of sleeving at least one lead of astator, comprising: providing the stator having a base portion and aplurality of leads extending therefrom; robotically selecting the atleast one lead from the plurality of leads; and robotically positioningan insulating sleeve over at least a portion of the selected at leastone lead using a first robotic device, the first robotic device having aplurality of finger clamps that hold the lead during the positioning ofthe sleeve.
 2. The method of claim 1, including a second robotic deviceemployed to position the insulating sleeve over the selected at leastone lead.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first robotic device hasat least two of the plurality of finger clamps secure the lead duringthe selection of the at least one lead.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein one of the at least two of the plurality of finger clamps of thefirst robotic device releases the lead during the positioning of thesleeve over the selected at least one lead.
 5. The method of claim 4,further comprising: re-securing the lead by the one of the at least twoof the plurality of finger clamps of the first robotic device during thepositioning of the sleeve; and releasing the lead by another of the atleast two of the plurality of finger clamps of the first robotic deviceduring positioning of the sleeve.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theat least one lead has a distal end to the base of the stator and alength extending between the end of the stator, the positioning furthercomprising using the first robotic device to urge the sleeve over thedistal end of the selected at least one lead to a position spaced fromthe distal end, such that the sleeve is oriented substantially coaxiallywith a portion of the length of the selected at least one lead.
 7. Amethod of sleeving at least one lead of a stator, comprising: providingthe stator having a base portion and a plurality of leads extendingtherefrom; robotically selecting the at least one lead from theplurality of leads; positioning an insulating sleeve over at least aportion of the selected at least one lead; and using a pallet having arotating assembly to rotatably support the stator relative to the palletand to rotatably position the at least one lead to a predeterminedposition prior to performing the robotic selection of the at least onelead, the rotating assembly having an inner ring that supports thestator and an outer ring having a plurality of clips, prior to thepositioning of the sleeve, the method further comprising releasablysecuring one or more of the plurality of leads in at least one of theplurality of clips.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingrepositioning at least one of the plurality of leads from one of theplurality of clips to another of the plurality of clips by way of athird robotic device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:introducing at least one of the leads to a crimping tool by way of afourth robotic device; introducing a stranded lead extension to thecrimping tool by way of a fifth robotic device; and splicing the atleast one of the leads to the stranded lead by way of the crimping tool.10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: providing a secondinsulating sleeve over a spliced junction between the selected at leastone of the leads and the stranded lead by way of the fifth roboticdevice.